


Lost (alt whumptober prompt)

by broken_fannibal



Series: Whumptober 2019 [15]
Category: Broadchurch
Genre: Alec Hardy Whump, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Amnesia, Being Lost, Cold Weather, Gen, Light Angst, Temporary Amnesia, Whump, Whumptober 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-02
Updated: 2019-11-02
Packaged: 2021-01-20 21:02:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21288134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/broken_fannibal/pseuds/broken_fannibal
Summary: Alec wakes up at the top of a cliff with no memory where he is or how he got there. The only thing he knows is his name.
Relationships: Alec Hardy & Ellie Miller
Series: Whumptober 2019 [15]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1512353
Comments: 4
Kudos: 53





	Lost (alt whumptober prompt)

Alec could see the stars in the night sky. There was a cold breeze. Wet grass under him.

With a frown, he sat up.

Where was he?

He was on a meadow. He could see the sea.

He slowly got up. His body ached, his clothes were damp. He took a few steps uphill and realised he was at the top of a cliff.

When he turned around he could see the lights of a city a while away.

But what city? Where was he?

He tried to remember but with the pounding headache, it was hard to think at all.

Why couldn't he remember?

He had no idea where he was. Or why he was here. How could he not know?

Fear settled in his gut.

Why couldn't he remember anything?

He took a deep breath, tried to calm the panic.

Maybe if he tried to think of the things he knew something else would come back to him?

His name was Alec... Hardy? Hardy. Yes, that was it. He was 46 years old. He worked... He blinked. What was his job? Did he have one? He must have.

An icy breeze made him shiver.

He needed to find shelter. He looked out over the city again. It was a small town. There was a well-lit main street. A small harbour. None of the buildings had lights on.

Shit.

He took a deep breath and began to walk down the hill. He stumbled on the uneven ground, early tripping several times. Another icy breeze hit his damp back. It was so cold. His hands were numb, his feet too. It was a wet kind of cold. The kind that crept into the clothes and settled there. As he shoved his hands in his pockets, he felt a phone.

Maybe that would give him a clue? He pulled it out. The display came to life. It was 3 am.

Fuck. What were the odds of finding anyone to help him at this time of the night? If it had been 11 pm he might have had a chance. But this way?

He stopped dead for a moment. He didn't know how to unlock his phone. He didn't know the number combination.

Assuming it was his phone. Well, it had been in his pocket. So it must be. Right?

He groaned and shoved it back into his pocket.

So he couldn't look through his contacts.

Maybe he had a wallet? If he had some money, he would be able to use a telephone box.

He looked through all his pockets. But there was nothing.

Damn it.

Why couldn't he remember anything? He didn't know how he got here, where he had been before, why he might be here or where "here" even was in the first place! How could he not know?

He stood under a street light on the main street. Looking left and right. Nothing looked familiar. Absolutely nothing. He had no idea where he was.

How could he find his way back home if he had no idea where home was?

Alec didn't have anywhere to go and he doubted there was any shop in this town that was still open at this time of the night.

He was so cold by now that his teeth clattered and little shivers ran through him.

He looked at the signpost. The street was named Main Street. Very unhelpful. He walked to the next junction. Harbour Street. Ugh. Why did all the streets in this town have such generic names?

But then he registered another sign. Police station.

He felt hope rise in his chest. It would still be open. There was always at least one officer stationed there overnight in case of an emergency.

Wait. Why did he know that? He shook his head and kept walking, burrowing his hands in his pockets. That was something he would think about once he was warm.

"Sir, what are you doing here so late?" the man at the reception said.

"I came to on a cliff a while away from here. I have no idea where I am, I don't remember how I got here. I need to-" Wait... What should he do? He didn't even know who he could call. He didn't remember anyone... Shit.

The man frowned at him.

Alec stared right back.

"Is this a joke?"

"Do I bloody look like I'm joking?"

The man jumped a little. "You, uh... you said you don't remember anything?"

Alec nodded.

"Okay. Um, let’s sit down. Do you want a cup of tea?"

"Yeah."

"I'll be back in a moment." he flashed a quick smile before hurrying out of the room.

Alec took off his jacket and sat down.

Not even a minute later the man came back. "Here you go."

"Thanks."

"So you really don't remember anything?"

"No. Like I said, I don't know where I am or how I got here."

A deep sigh. There was worry in his expression. "You work here. This town, it's called Broadchurch. You're Detective Inspector here at the police station."

Alec blinked. "Do I live here as well?"

"I'm not sure. I think so? Miller will know though."

"Who's Miller?"

"She works here too. You talk to her more often. Maybe you're friends?"

He nodded. "Can I stay here for now? No need to wake her in the middle of the night, right?"

The man shrugged. "I don't think she'd mind. But there's a bed in the holding cell. And we have showers."

"Thanks." He finished his tea and then went to the bathroom. In the mirror, he looked at his own face. There was a bruise on his chin. It looked recent. And a cut above his right eyebrow.

When he undressed he noticed more bruises. His muscles were sore.

What had happened?

When he woke up, a woman stood in the door of the holding cell. She looked at him with a deep frown.

"Paul says you don't remember anything."

"Good morning to you too," he grumbled. "Who are you then?"

"Christ, you really don't remember." she looked more and more concerned by the second.

He sat and stretched.

"I'm Ellie."

"Okay." He paused. "He... Paul you called him? He talked about Miller last night? He said she'd know where I live."

Ellie's face fell. "That's me. Ellie Miller."

"Oh. Right. Sorry." he pushed back the blanket and reached for his shoes. "Are we friends?"

"What?'

"Just something he said. That I talk to you more often. He guessed we're friends."

"Well, you're my boss. After almost a year you still call me by my last name."

He shrugged. "If we're colleagues that's normal, isn't it?"

She sighed and shook her head. "I'm not having this discussion again. What do you remember?"

"Apart from my name and my age nothing."

"Shit."

He gestured at his phone on the table. "I can't even unlock my phone because I don't know the combination."

Her eyes widened. How could he just not remember anything? "Okay, um... tell me what happened last night."

"I woke up on a field on the top of a cliff. It was about 3 am. I walked down to the main street and found a signpost with a sign that read police station. So I went here."

"And before that?"

"I don't remember. I was hoping you'd know."

"Well, today's Monday. Last time I saw you was on Friday... You didn't have those wounds last week.” She pointed at his eyebrow. After a short pause, she said: “We should go to your cottage with SOCO. To see if we can find a clue there. We’ll also send a few people to where you woke up."

"Okay."

She looked at him a while longer. "We'll get you some breakfast on the way."

He nodded.

"Come on then."

The door of Alec’s cottage showed clear signs of a break-in but the entire interior was scrubbed clean. No dirt, no blood. Nothing out of place, nothing broken. It all seemed a little too orderly. It couldn't have been a thief. No. It looked like someone had tried to erase all signs of what had happened.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it!


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